Feed box or trough.



G. B. WARREN.

FEED BOX 0R TROUGH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 190a.

Patented July 7, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

irfvl fiilill THE NORRIS PETERS ((1, IHUTOJJTHO WASHINGTON, D C

e. B. WARREN. FEED BOX 0B. TROUGH. APPLIOAZPION FILED APR. 3, 1908 Patented July 7, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 13

THE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D C. 4

GEORGE BERTRAMWARREN, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

FEED .130}! OR TROUGHQ Specification. of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1908.

Patented July 7, 1914. Serial No. 424,872.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonon B. WARREN, a resident of Rockford, in the county of VVinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Boxes or Troughs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description The invention relates to feed-boxesor troughs and more particularly to those which areadapted to be secured to one of the wallsv of a stall.

After a charge of grain or feed has been placed in a box or trough and been consumed by the animal, there is usuallyleft in the box impurities which the animal does not care to, or should not, consume. Accunnilationof these impurities renders the box or trough unsanitary in the course of time.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved device which may be readily secured in proper position in a stall, preferably in one of the corners thereof, and which may be tilted or dumped to discharge the impurities and prevent the accumulation thereof so that the feed-box may be kept in sanitary condition and fL1Itl1Ql,llO provide a tiltable box which is mounted in such manner that the animal cannot tilt it.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a device which comprises a sl.ip )ortingframe for atlltablebox, which may be read.- ily installed and which 18 0i such construction that all projections likely to result in injury I to; the animal will be effectively avoided; l

Still another object of the invention is to provide means in the trough which prevents the animal from slobbering and spilling the grain out of the box.

"The invention also designs to PI'O'VldG an improved and simple construction for feedboxes and troughs which is sanitary and may be readily installed in a barn.

The invention consists in theseveral novel features hereinafter set forth and more partic'ularly definedby claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective of a portion of a stall provided with the improved feed-box ortrough. Fig. 2 is a transverse section, the box being shown by dotted lines, in position to-discharge the con tents. Flg. 3 1s a plan. Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevations viewed from opposite sides respectively. Fig. (3 is a section on line 6-4) of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 3.

The improved feeder comprises a supporting-frame formed of a bar and constituted of sides 10, a back 11,. and a front rail 12. The back-rail 11. is perforated as at 13 so the frame may be screwed or nailed to the back-wall of a stall. By reason of the rectangular form of the frame the feed-box or trough may be held therein so as to protect the upper edges of a sheet-metal feedbox, thus preventing the animal from being scratched or injured or injuring the box. In practice, the feeder is usually installed in one corner of the stall and in the installation of the improved feeder, one of the side walls is utilized to support one side of the frame, each of the side-rails being perforated as at 14. for screws or nails for securing it to the contiguous side-wall of the stall. To better support the other side of the sup porting-frame, a brace 15 is secured toone of the side-rails 10 by a screw 16 and extends downwardly and rcarwardly so that its lower end. will fit against the back wall of the stall, being secured thereto by a screw 17. Each of the sidebars of the supportingframe is provided with holes 14: whereby it may be secured to one of the side walls of the stall, and a perforation for a screw 16, and this construction makes it possible to utilize either side-wall for: sustaining one side: of thesupporting frame and the brace for-the other side. Thus the supportingframe is adapted to be secured, without change of construction, in the corner at either side of the stall, the braces 15 being capable of being secured to the other side- I wall. This construction 1s advantageous in that the feeders may made at the factory and by merely securing the brace to one side or the other they may be installed snuglyin either corner ofa stall.

The box or trough for holding the grain or feed is formed of sheet-metal and comprises a bottom 18, a baolowall 19, a frontwa1l20 and side-walls 21. The upper edges of the front, baclc and side-walls of the box are disposedapproximately in the plane of the upper edge of the supporting-frame and within theframe, to avoid any projections on which the animal can be scratched, and to render it impossible for the animal to injure the walls of the box. A metallic strap 22 is secured to, and extends around, the side-walls, back-wall, and front-wall of the box to rigidify the latter. The box is pivotally mounted in the supporting-frame by screws 23 which are disposed near the upper and front corner of the box and extend through one of the side walls and a clip 2a which is secured to the adjacent side-bar 10 of the supporting-frame by screws or rivets 25. Fach clip 24: is bent away from the side-bar 10 to receive a retaining-nut 26 on screw 23. This disposition of the pivotal connection between the grain box and the supporting-frame makes it possible to swing or tilt the box from its normal operative position so that the back of the box will swing upwardly and forwardly until the box is arrested by the front rail of the supportingframe, as indicated by dotted lines Fig. 2.

In such tilted position the contents of the box will be discharged and removed.

A stop 27 is secured to each of the boxsides 21 and consists of a strip of metal, the upper end of which is bent to engage a co operating stop 2-8 on one of the side bars 10 of the supporting-frame. Stops 28 are preferably formed of strips of metal having their central portions bent inwardly as at 29 and their terminals secured to the inner side of the side-bars 10 by rivets 30. Said stops normally position the box in the frame so that the upper edge of the box will be properly disposed in the frame. As a result of this disposition of the box-pivot and the construction aforesaid, the box will be held in operative position by gravity and in such manner that the animal cannot tilt the box, because it is impossible for the animal to lift the back of the box upwardly. For convenience in dumping the box the upper edge of the back-wall is bent backwardly as at 20" so that the box can be conveniently lifted by the fingers of the attendant when inserted between the back-bar 11 of the supporting-frame and the back of the box.

Thus it will be seen that the invention provides a simple device which may be readily applied to either corner of the stall and which comprises a box which can be tilted by the attendant to discharge the contents of the box therefrom but. it cannot be discharged or injured by the animal.

It is customary for animals, when a full charge of feed is in the box, to move their jaws in the grain in the box in attempting to hurriedly consume the grain. When this is done the grain is frequently spilled out of the box by the animal, thus causing the grain to be lost and slobbered instead of being gradually consumed. To prevent the animal from doing this, rods extend transversely across the box some distance above its bottom. The front and rear ends are respectively secured in the front and rear walls of the box. These bars are sufficient distances apart to permit the mouth and jaws of the animal to eat the grain from the bottom of the box, but prevent the animal from pushing the grain from side to side. Resultantly, when the animal places its mouth in one of the spaces between the bars or between one bar and one of the sidewalls, it cannot slobber the grain around the box' or out of it. Furthermore, when the animal eats out of one of the spaces some of the grain will be pushed away from that space, making it necessary for the animal to withdraw its head to reach grain from one of the other spaces. As a result of this means the animal is taught to consume the grain gradually and Waste of grain is avoided, and the box is kept in a more sanitary condition.

Having thus described the invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a feeder, the combination of a frame including side bars and a front bar, means whereby the side bars of the frame may be secured to the wall of a stall, a feed-box having the upper end of its walls within the frame and pendent therefrom, pivotal connections between the sides of the feedbox and the sides of the frame and located at the upper portion of the feed-box and at the forward ends of the respective sides of the box and frame, whereby the boxis adapted inverted to discharge over the front bar.

2. In a feeder, the combination of a frame including side bars and a front bar, means whereby the side bars of the framemay be secured to the wall of a stall, a feed-box to be turnedfrom the rear forwardly and having the upper ends of its walls within the frame and pendent therefrom, pivotal connections between the sides of the feed-box and the sides of the frame, said pivotal connections being located within the spaces between the sides of the frame and the sides of the box and located at the upper portion of the feed-box and at the forward ends of the respective sides of the box and frame, so that the box may be turned from rear forwardly and inverted to discharge over the front bar.

S. In a feeder, the combination of a frame including side bars and a. front bar, means whereby the side bars of the framemay be secured to a Wall or walls of the stall, a feed box having the upper ends of its walls within the frame and pendent therefrom, pivotal wardly and inverted to a discharging position, and co-acting stop mechanism compris ing hooks attached to the sides of the box and engaging the frame at the rear thereof,

, for holding the box in its normal position.

4:. In a feeder, the combination of a frame including side bars and a front bar, means whereby the side bars of the frame may be secured to a wall or walls of the stall, a feed box having the upper ends of its walls within the frame and spaced from the frame and pendent therefrom, pivotal connections between the sides of the feed box and the sides of the frame, said pivoted connections being located Within the spaces between the sides of the frame and the sides of the box,and located at the upper portion of the feed box and at the forward ends of the respective sides of the box and frame, said pivoted connections adaptin the box to be turned from the rear forwarc ly and inverted to a discharging position, and co-acting stop mechanism comprising hooks attached to the sides of the box and engaging the frame, at the pendent therefrom, pivotal connections between the sides of the feed box and the sides of the frame, said pivotal connections bein" located within the spaces between the sic es of the frame and the sides of the box, and disposed at the upper portion of the feed box and at the forward ends of the respective sides of the box and frame, each pivotal connectionconsisting of a U-shaped strap having its ends secured to the side of the frame and its base or transverse member adjacent to the side of the box, and a pivot pin extendin from the side of the box into the loop of tie U-shaped strap and a nut on the threaded end of the pin, and located within the loop of the U-shaped strap, the said pivotal connections adapting the box to be turned from the rear forwardly and inverted to a discharging position, and co-acting stop mechanism between the sides of the box and the frame at the rear thereof, for holding the box in its normal position, eachvof said sto mechanisms comprising a U-sha ed strap iiaving its ends secured to the siile of the frame and a base or transverse member adjacent to the side of the box, and anarm secured to the side of the box and extending upwardly and bent into hook form to engage over the base or transverse member of the U-shaped strap.

GEORGE BERTRAM \VARREN. Witnesses:

B. B. SHIRLEY, G. H. VVILox.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by odor-easing the i Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, .D. 0.? 

